Riding in the Adirondack State Park...

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

I was surprised when I stepped outside to find that it was not your normal December morning in the North Country.  The temperatures were already in the low fifties and the forecast said it would hit the sixties.  I needed to be at the funeral home around 4 p.m., but had plenty of time until then and my uncle’s bike was starting to look better and better.  That could wait a little while though, since I’d agreed to go for a hike in a parcel of land owned by the power company that stretched for miles along the Racquette River.

All of the electrical needs of this part of the country is met by hydroelectric.  In fact, the majority of power generated is transported to New York City.  The Racquette River originates in the Adirondack Mountains over 100 miles away and is dammed for power in many communities as it moves north to the St. Lawrence.  The parcel of land we hiked on was a beautiful mixture of oaks, maples, pines and grey birch with both dirt roads and trails.  It is open to the public, but the public didn’t seem to notice as we hike for four miles and never saw another person.  It was about the size of the North Chagrin Reservation but without the picnic area, ball parks and nature centers…just woods and a gorgeous river.  I demonstrated my Survival Workout for my aunt, who is extremely fit, but completely uncoordinated.  She could not figure out how to do a dip though she eventually got the karaoke steps down.

I was sweating when we returned to the car for the ride home and decided I’d move immediately to the bike.  My uncle rides thousands of miles each year and at 72, is going very strong.  He has a mountain, hybrid and road bike and all are of excellent quality.  His road bike, a carbon fiber framed Trek 2300 is light-weight and well maintained.  It was one of the first in the carbon family and he purchased it in 1992.  It rides like it was new, though, and I’m always anxious to take it for a spin. 

I rode south from their place towards the imaginary ‘Blue Line’ don maps which is the boundary that marks the area of the state designated as the Adirondack State Park.  It includes over six million acres of land and water and is the largest state park outside of Alaska and is bigger than the state of Vermont.  My aunt and uncle are only 16 miles north of its border and I decided I wanted to ride into it.  The shoulder on State Route 56, the road on which they live and one of the few major roads of the North Country, is over five feet wide and offers plenty of room for a cyclist to ride safely…away from the vehicles traveling over sixty mph.  And though it is safe, I grow weary of being buzzed by the traffic, even if it is light and since I was carrying a county map, figured a route that would take me deep into the park and bring me back without using the major thoroughfare.

I managed 45 miles of riding with much of it on deserted, but paved. county roads through the forests that make up so much of the park.  I went an easy ten miles without seeing a car, but having the splendor of the Racquette River as a companion.  The course offered a rolling terrain, which made it challenging but not ridiculously so.  I stopped many times along the way to take pictures with my phone…a poor substitute for my camera, but the best I  could do.  I arrived home after three hours on the road exhausted but thrilled by the scenery and serenity of the ride.  I’d passed many camps that had me thinking how much I would like to own a piece of property in this country for summer/fall vacations.

I continued to take Kefsir since my stomach issues remained at bay.  I don’t know if it is a coincidence, though I doubt it.  I’ve been having troubles for over a month and although it has only been two days, I’m leaning towards thinking Kefir is my new, best friend.

Hike duration: 60 minutes. Bike duration: Three hours.
Training Heart Rate: 80 hiking and 120 bpm biking.
Calories burned during workout: 300 hiking and 2550 biking.